City Politics
Halftime Instructions for the Freedom Party
By Alton Maddox
The Freedom Party has to collect 15,000 valid signatures for the gubernatorial candidacy of Councilman Charles Barron with at least 100 “valid” signatures in 15 congressional districts. The signatures of the Freedom Party are expected to be challenged by another political party because unbridled, political power in the hands of Blacks is not only novel but also threatening to white supremacy.
Nine of these 15 congressional districts, with the highest percentage of Black residents, on whole or in part, are situated in New York City. Two are located in Long Island. Two others are located in the mid-Hudson Valley and another is located in Albany and Schenectady.
The final congressional district is the 28th Congressional District, which is situated mainly in Buffalo and Rochester. Only four congressional districts in New York have more Blacks than the 28th. Within three days, it had collected the minimum number of signatures.
There are six additional congressional districts that the Freedom Party have targeted for at least 100 “valid” signatures. Four of these congressional districts are situated in New York City. These are the 5th, 8th, 9th and 14th Congressional Districts. They are respectively represented by Gary Ackerman, Jerrold Nadler, Anthony Weiner and Carolyn Maloney.
All petition carriers will have dropped off their petitions by Tuesday, July 27 at designated drop-off centers. This will allow the Freedom Party to approximate its mid-term achievements so far. It will also allow the campaign to clean up the petitions on a normal schedule instead of cleaning up already-collected signatures in the eleventh hour.
I expect that the second half will be far more productive than the first half which also required organizing the statewide, political campaign.
Councilman Barron accepted the political challenge in June. The campaign for signatures started on July 7.
It also takes some time to recruit and train volunteers who must understand that organization is a bottom-to-top approach. The volunteers must carry the candidates and not the reverse. This is also how a bee colony works. This ensures continuity and longevity.
All supporters must be focused and instep for the final stretch. Personal assignments for the final stretch must be identified and executed. This is especially true for houses of worship, commercial districts, social events and underreported congressional districts. For more information, call UAM at 718-834-9034.
Weekly Meetings at the Elks Plaza, 1068 Harriet Tubman (Fulton Street) nr. Classon Ave. in Brooklyn at 7:30 p.m. Take the “C” train to Franklin Ave.